U.Va. men's hoops team heads into what could be amped scene at football-crazed Clemson

#UVA will look to slow down Blossomgame, who had 54 combined points last season in two games against Cavaliers

Virginia coach Tony Bennett had a harrowing premonition last Sunday night after his team’s 79-62 win against Wake Forest. It remains to be seen if his fears will be realized.

It dawned on Bennett that there could be a particularly hostile environment waiting Saturday at Clemson. He was thinking about how Monday night’s national championship football game could serve as the powder keg for an explosion of emotion inside newly renovated Littlejohn Coliseum.

Just in time for No. 19 U.Va.’s arrival for a key ACC matchup.

“If Clemson wins the national championship, I’m sure they’ll unveil their football team at our game,” Bennett said. “So, it’ll be a real pleasant environment.”

It happened. Clemson beat Alabama 35-31.

A Clemson official Friday couldn’t confirm whether any members of the football team or coaching staff will be introduced Saturday as national champions in front of the Littlejohn crowd.

They’ve already organized similar public scenes at Clemson after winning the ACC football championship against Virginia Tech, and after the Tigers won the Fiesta Bowl College Football Playoff semifinal against Ohio State. Plus, there’s a parade to celebrate the national title scheduled for Saturday morning on Clemson’s campus.

Though Clemson’s fans could be whipped into a football-intoxicated frenzy in Littlejohn, the Tigers’ product on the floor is also cause for concern from Bennett’s perspective.

After losing games at Florida State and Pittsburgh last week, U.Va.’s win against Wake Forest snapped a two-game skid. U.Va. (12-3, 2-2 ACC) continues to have the nation's top scoring defense (52.1 points per game), and is fourth in the nation in field goal percentage defense (37 percent).

Now, Clemson (11-5, 1-3) will be hungry to break out of its own losing streak, which has reached three games (losses at home against North Carolina and in back-to-back games at Notre Dame and Georgia Tech).

While Clemson has had a difficult time getting started in the ACC portion of its schedule, it still boasts one of the conference’s most skilled players in 6-foot-7 redshirt senior forward Jaron Blossomgame.

U.Va. forward Isaiah Wilkins, who suffered a hip pointer against Wake Forest but expected to play Saturday, could have the responsibility of guarding Blossomgame, a native of Alpharetta, Ga., who was a first-team All-ACC selection last season and who averages 18.1 points (sixth in the ACC) and six rebounds per game this season, while shooting 50 percent from the floor.

Wilkins is no stranger to having to shadow Blossomgame for extended stretches, but Blossomgame has had strong outings of late against U.Va. He scored 23 points last January on 8-of-15 shooting from the floor in U.Va.’s 69-62 home win against Clemson, and 31 points last March on 10-of-16 field goal shooting (4-of-6 from 3-point range) in U.Va.’s 64-57 victory against Clemson in Greenville, S.C. (site of the Tigers’ temporary home court while Littlejohn got its makeover).

In U.Va.’s win last season in Greenville, Blossomgame had just five points and turned the ball over three times in the final 11:32 while primarily hounded down the stretch by U.Va. guard and defensive stalwart Malcolm Brogdon.

Of course, Brogdon will be no help Saturday. He’s now a rookie in the NBA with the Milwaukee Bucks.

“(Blossomgame is) a problem because he’s like 6-7, 6-8, he can put the ball on the floor, he can shoot it and he’s a problem matchup,” said Wilkins, a Lilburn, Ga., product who had a career-high five blocks against Wake Forest. “I have to be ready, because I feel like I’ll probably draw that matchup like I’ve done the past couple years. I actually know him personally. We kind of played ball in the same area for a long time, so it’ll be fun to play against him.”

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Menchville clinches the Peninsula District title with a win over Woodside Tuesday May 14, 2019.

Menchville clinches the Peninsula District title with a win over Woodside Tuesday May 14, 2019.

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Menchville clinches the Peninsula District title with a win over Woodside Tuesday May 14, 2019.

Menchville clinches the Peninsula District title with a win over Woodside Tuesday May 14, 2019.

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Video of Tabb's 2-0 victory over Warhill during Tuesday's softball game May 7, 2019.

Video of Tabb's 2-0 victory over Warhill during Tuesday's softball game May 7, 2019.

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Tiger Woods honored with Presidential Medal of Freedom. The 43-year-old is the fourth pro golfer to be awarded the highest achievement for an American civilian. Jack Nicklaus, via Twitter The medal comes a month after Woods won the Masters, his first major PGA victory in over 10 years.

Tiger Woods honored with Presidential Medal of Freedom. The 43-year-old is the fourth pro golfer to be awarded the highest achievement for an American civilian. Jack Nicklaus, via Twitter The medal comes a month after Woods won the Masters, his first major PGA victory in over 10 years.

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Hampton and Menchville baseball battle it out for first place in the Peninsula District Tuesday April 23, 2019.

Hampton and Menchville baseball battle it out for first place in the Peninsula District Tuesday April 23, 2019.

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Grafton and Jamestown battle it out Thursday April 18, 2019 for first place in the Bay Rivers District.

Grafton and Jamestown battle it out Thursday April 18, 2019 for first place in the Bay Rivers District.

Clemson and U.Va. have similar philosophies when it comes to tempo, with Clemson averaging 68.4 possessions per game (229th-fewest in the nation out of 351 Division I teams) and U.Va. averaging 59.2 possessions (fewest in the nation). U.Va. has just gotten a little more accomplished out of its possessions.

U.Va. is shooting 49.4 percent from the floor (second in the ACC), while Clemson is shooting 44.7 percent (13th in the ACC). U.Va. sports a solid rebounding margin (plus-4.8 per game, sixth in the ACC), but Clemson is the only team in the conference with a negative number in the category (minus-0.9).

As average as Clemson coach Brad Brownell’s program has been as a team from 3-point range (35 percent) this season, guards Avry Holmes (37.8 percent), Marcquise Reed (45.9 percent) and Gabe DeVoe (38.2 percent) have all been efficient shooters from beyond the arc. The trio has also helped Clemson lead the ACC in turnover margin (plus-4.62) by providing the bulk of the Tigers’ steals (8.3 per game, second in the ACC).

With frontcourt depth and scoring not being U.Va.’s strengths, the Cavaliers have been moving more toward a four-guard lineup in recent games.

Guards London Perrantes (team-high 11.3 points per game, 2.5-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio, 24 points against Wake Forest), Devon Hall (double-figures scoring in all four of U.Va.’s conference games, giving him 10 for his career) and Marial Shayok (first start of the season against Wake, tying his career high with 17 points) have responded well, but Blossomgame and Clemson’s backcourt could make life difficult for U.Va.’s pack-line defense.

“I think if you have a four-guard lineup, it’s a burden on everyone,” Bennett said. “You’ve got to be so good on your blockouts, or coming back and pursuing the ball and rebounding. You have to all the time in this league — we do — whether it’s three guards or four guards, but yeah, when you’re undersized, there’s really got to be a pursuit of the ball.”